Longbox55

Yes, Chevrolet did use quarter elliptical springs, front and rear, on the 490. Most of the other early Chevrolet cars (which includes the Little and Mason) used semi elliptical on the front, and 3/4 elliptical on the rear.

I'll have to get it out of storage and take a look, but I'm pretty sure that the Italeri D.A.F. Spacecab has axles that are similar in basic shape.

Mine is a 3 way tie, all the same model year. 2014 Toyota 86, Subaru BR-Z, and Scion FR-S.

I use pretty much everything. Lacquers (both hobby and 1:1 car paint), hobby enamels (Testors and Humbrol), water based acrylics (mostly Tamiya, also Citadel), spray enamels, modified urethane enamels, fingernail polish, it just really depends on what color is available in what kind of paint and what I'm willing to deal with to use it. That said, for bodies I mostly use lacquers these days. Good color selection, fast dry time, easy to work with, and if you need to topcoat it, you can put just about anything over the top it. I work with both spray cans and airbrush.

If it's the one I think it is, it was a '67 Chevelle, all done with the then new Revell kit, or at least parts of it. I seem to recall that the tree wreck wasn't the end of the story, though. IIRC, there was a dirt track car phase, one where it was converted into a farm get-around vehicle (complete with a toilet in place of the driver's seat), finally junked, and one last one showing a garage sale with a few parts of the car in it. I think is was called something like "Larry's Chevelle".

Yes, I have to admit, I did purchase all the colors shown. However, many of them are seasonal colors that I picked up on clearance. None are mixes, but some of them are the same color shot over different bases, mostly in the yellows.

Looking good. A couple of things you might consider; Adding manual hubs to the front wheels. That would be correct to the part time 4x4 system used with the manual transmissions. Also, if you're going for an original condition truck looks, the bedwood would be painted flat black. That would be the same on all models, regardless of trim level.

Here's another good place for finding vintage plates http://www.greatamericanplates.com/index.php

Mike has the right idea. Photo paper works much better than decal paper for doing plates. If you have a decent image resizing program, you don't even have to worry about the image size. I tend to prefer using images that were shot closer up, mostly source from online sources, and resize them myself to .5 x .25 (depending on 1:1 plate size). If you get the right font for the letter/numbers, you can make your own "blank" plates very easily in a program like Paint, and put whatever you want on them. The plate on this Dodge was done on photo paper, using a blank plate made in Paint.

Here's my daily driver. It still has the stock I beam axle, the only upgrades, other that refurbishing back to stock specs, are gas shocks, front and rear anti-sway bars, radial tires, and a steering stabilizer. It's still manual steering and manual brakes. It gets driven rain, shine, or snow (unless the snow is really bad, then I break out my 4x4). I will admit to a few safety/performance improvement concessions, seat belts, halogen headlamps, LED turn signal/brake lights, and for the dumb people who like to ride too close where they cant see the brake lights, a period correct 3rd brake light. I

Looks good. You might want to correct the bolt pattern on the axle flange on the right rear. You have 5 lug on it, the wheels are 6 lug.

You have t be careful picking their colors, as some of them have fairly large flake in them which prevents them from being sprayed. I found that out the hard way. But for the most part, they thin down and spray very well, and most of them also cover very well, too.

Thanks Art. I've done some more research with a little help for a friend, and we came up with a really good video of an unrestored Stutz belonging to Corky Coker. His is painted, so that's what I'm going to go with. Good to know that any of those finishes would be correct, though.

I've been testing nail polish after a long time of staying away from using it (last attempt over 20 years ago ended badly). I came across this brand at the local Meijer store, and it has lots of interesting colors. Unfortunately, some of them are seasonal, though I've found that Walmart does stock most of the colors year 'round. It's fairly inexpensive, around $2 for the regular line, $3 for their "2 part" colors. It's much cheaper than most polishes I've seen, which run anywhere from $6 to $14 locally. For the most part, they are all pretty much prepped the same, Duplicolor gray primer/sealer, 2-3 coats of color, then 2-3 coats of Duplicolor Paint shop clear. There are some exceptions, as some were shot over either a black or white base. It's hard to see in the pics, but those that are over either a black or white base are marked with either a "B" or a "W" after the color name. All were thinned with Kleen Strip lacquer thinner and shot at approximately 15 psi, and were mostly shot with a Paasche model V with a #5 tip.

For doing color testing, many builders use white plastic spoons. They are made of the same type plastic that model kits are made of, are very cheap, and once finished, give you a permanent record of what a given color looks like. It can also give you the chance to test different paint/primer/basecoat combinations before you commit to a body without using much in the line of materials. It actually can become somewhat addicting.

The early version of that kit do have the window problem, however it was correct when the 2nd run of them came out. On the windshield, it was never truly accurate to begin with. On the kit, it's supposed to mount flush with the cab roof edge. That is incorrect to how the 1:1 truck is. The top of the windshield is actually about 3" back from the edge, creating a "Cadet Peak" roofline (along with LOTS of wind noise!). BTW, the wndow gaskets are molded to the windshield and back glass. One other major issue with this kit is the lack of the door steps and rear cab floor. This is very noticeable looking from the bottom of the kit. It is not hard to fix, though. There's a few other minor issues with accuracy, like the grille sitting too far out and a wave that's in the driver's front fender styling crease, but overall, it really isn't a bad kit.

I generally do not wax my builds. I do polish them out, however. I personally use Turtle Wax liquid rubbing and polishing compounds, which seem to do alright with both 1:1 car paint and hobby enamels and lacquers in my own experience.

I think you actually mean Motor City rather than Missing Link (both a part of D.R.A.G.). They do offer one, but it is a '63. http://www.motorcityresincasters.com/63F100.htm

Got a question for anyone that might be familiar with the Stutz Bearcat. I'm working on a build of the old MPC Bearcat kit (Connoisseur Classics version), and need to know what would be correct for the grille, plated or painted? The grille in the kit is plated, however my research is coming up with conflicting results on which way is correct. I've seen pics of them both ways, and even a few with the plated parts in brass instead of nickel/chrome. Any help would be appreciated.

The computer re-flash is only part of it. We still swap cams, intakes, bigger throttle bodies and injectors, headers. The you have all the forced induction options that are available now. Performance upgrading is still alive and well, we just have be smarter about it.

Don't bet on that. You would be surprised at what you can do re-flashing the ECM.

I can partially agree with that, however, none of those upgrades are really 100% necessary to make a reliable driver out of an older car. Properly rebuilt to factory specifications, the original brakes, suspension, and carburetion systems perform just fine foe daily use. I will agree with you 100% on the tires, though. Modern radials are a vast improvement over the old bias plys. I've found from experience that old cars are just as reliable as new cars, if they are properly maintained. Even if you do have a breakdown, older cars are much easier to repair on the road. Modern cars, you almost have to have specialty tools to even diagnose the problem and to repair it afterwards. Just for the record, I work on the new ones for a living, but prefer the old ones for a daily driver. My personal ride is a '55 Chevy 1/2 ton pickup. I wouldn't take a new one in exchange for it for anything.

Well, just speaking for myself, my arsenal of paints is very well stocked with just about any kind of finish you can think of. Everything from Testors enamels to real car paint. I can tell you that sometimes you have to think outside to box a bit on paints. There's several lines of paints out there that can be used with modes with the proper precautions. Duplicolor, Rustoleum, and a few other brands of spray paint can be used with the proper primer. Speaking of primer, Duplicolor has several good lacquer based primers that work well with model car plastic. Their primer and paints are readily available at most car parts stores and some big box retail stores. Some builder have had good results using water based craft paints. Since you are airbrushing, another great source is fingernail polish. Lots of usable colors available, and with a little lacquer thinner, they spray very nicely. I'm partial to the Sinful Colors line myself, mainly due to their availability, color range, and most importantly, price.

Plastic spoons are also very good for doing paint testing. I do agree with the others, you have a compatibility issue. Since you are working with an airbrush, you might consider using Tamiya X-22 Clear Gloss, which is part of their acrylic line.

R&MoM Flathead. The parts can be acquired separately so that you can build it how you want.